If you’re looking for some great back to school organization hacks to make your life simpler, you’ve come to the right place
Don’t let the stress of the school year get you down…instead, try these simple tips instead.
Once that school bell rings, it’s like it’s off to the races. The days are packed full of activities, plans, and schedules and sometimes it feels like there’s never a good time to sit down and catch your breath.
It’s times like these that you need some simple organizing hacks to get you through the day. Not only will these make you more efficient but they’ll also help to make your day less stressful as well.
35 Back to School Organization Tips Give every member of your family their own laundry basket
When it comes to laundry, it truly does feel never-ending. And somehow, the piles just keep adding up. The simple and quick way to take care of the issue is to give each person in your family their own laundry basket.
This keeps the mess picked up and ready to be cleaned easier.
Make Sunday meal-planning Sunday
Taking the time to meal-plan is probably one of the easiest ways to get organized. Not only can you feel ahead of the game, but you can literally plan out a week’s worth of meals in a very short amount of time.
Plan to Eat is my favorite meal planning service – it allows you to easily grab any recipe online, keeps them organized, and makes it a breeze to plan out meals. Plus it creates automatic shopping lists!
Post a morning routine for everyone to follow
Chaos in the morning is avoidable if you create a schedule and morning routine that everyone can follow. Create it, post it and watch everyone stay calmed and relaxed during the beginning stressors of the school year.
Sit boxes in their room so kids can add items they no longer want
Kids change their minds all the time. Instead of trying to guess, sit a box or large plastic bin in their room for the week and let them know that they can add in anything that they no longer want.
You’ll be decluttering your house and donating items to others who need them as well.
Set up an evening checklist
An evening checklist can set clear expectations for everyone, from finishing chores to whether screen time is allowed or not. Here’s how to make a simple dry erase evening checklist.
Make themed days for packing school lunches
Tired of wracking your brain for different school lunch ideas? Keep it simple and think of a fun theme for each random day. You know that Taco Tuesday has to be one, right?
If your kids are gluten-free, you should check out this list of 60 gluten-free school lunch ideas
Sort your kids’ school paperwork right away…
with this quick and easy school paperwork sorting system. This is one of our favorite back to school organization ideas as it’s so simple with big results! You can say good-bye to piles of papers all over the counters, table, and other surfaces.
Depend on your crockpot…often
Crockpots are life. And when you’re looking for great meals that will be ready when you arrive home, the handy dandy crockpot never lets you down. Try this simple Slow Cooker Chicken Taco dinner – everyone loves it.
Don’t forget about the power of Instant Pot
The Instant Pot is another amazing appliance that can make your cooking organization skills a worry of the past. In just moments, your Instant Pot can create a meal for the entire family. My family loves this easy instant pot mac and cheese.
Keep nut bars and other simple snacks in the car
It never fails that children seem to get the most hungry when they’re in the car. Keeping all sorts of snacks that are handy make it simple and an organized idea to do.
Plus, they’ll be so happy to have food quickly and easily available.
Have baby wipes everyone in your house and car
Keeping things clean and organized means one thing and one thing only…use baby wipes any time that you can. They work great for all types of cleaning and are perfect for messy hands, too.
Put magnets on the back of your door for important paperwork
Don’t waste time in the morning running around looking for that important field trip paperwork. Instead, get a few magnets (we love these magnetic clips) and have it posted right on the back of the door.
There’s no way that you can miss them as you’re walking out the door.
Plan outfits by the week
Planning outfits by the day just isn’t enough. If you’re looking for truly simple ways to organize, plan at least a week in advance.
This simple DIY hanging clothes organizer can help too.
Have each child do chores when they get home from school
Set the standard early and give each child a couple chores to complete right when they get home. That way your home will stay clean and organized and your child will have that expectation set early.
Here are 2 of our favorite chore chart ideas for kids – chore sticks and zone chores.
Set up a laundry schedule
Create a weekly laundry schedule where each person has one day for their laundry. We’ve used this system for years now with our 4 kids and it’s made laundry much simpler and more manageable.
Color code your pantry to find quick snacks
How many times have you and your child stood and stared, trying to find a snack? Instead of making that happen all the time, color-code your pantry to make snacks easier to find.
Blue bins are for chocolate, red bins are for cereal…you see how simple and easy this can be, right?
Here are some more pantry organization ideas.
Set your calendar to add lunch money once a month
Forgetting your child’s school lunch money just isn’t all that great. Instead, set your phone calendar to remind you once a month to deposit a large amount into their school lunch money account.
Take a picture of your child’s school schedule and set it as your wallpaper
Worried that your child’s day is stressful and unorganized? Simply take a picture of their daily schedule so that you can be their support when they get lost.
Address screen time limitations before asked
Screen time can actually create chaos and anxiety in the home so setting limits early is key. Let your children know that their daily allotment of screen time will be decreasing once school starts.
Give each child a cubby to put in all their school items
Kids bring home a ton of stuff from school! Give each child a cubby that they can put in all their things. That way it all stays where it needs to and nothing gets mixed up and lost.
Here’s a list of great backpack organizing ideas.
Paint a wall with chalkboard paint to make a giant, life-sized calendar
How many times has no one in the family known what everyone else was going to do? When this is the case, create a giant calendar so there aren’t any questions.
Pick out an empty wall and paint it with chalkboard paint. Then, write on the wall and let everyone know your schedule.
Sort younger children’s clothing like this…
For younger children, try sorting their clothes in bins with labels instead of drawers. This handy clothes organizing tips for kids will help keep their room picked up!
Go back to school shopping the weekend after school starts
Back to school shopping is chaotic. If you can wait until the weekend after school starts, it’s so much more simple to organize your thoughts, time, effort and energy.
Create a carpool schedule to save time and money
Looking for a way to not have to drive your kids to school every single day? Why not create a schedule with some of the neighbors and take turns taking everyone to and from school!
Keep your vehicle organized with a simple trash bag
If you don’t already do this, keep a plastic shopping bag in your SUV or van for trash containment. Then regularly throw it away and replace. It’s amazing how much this simple tip will help. Find a few more car organizing tips here.
Reuse items in your home to create organization and decrease clutter
So many times we run out to the store to buy something new. But if you take the time and look around, you just might have items in your house that you can reuse instead.
Cans make great holders for push pins, ink pens, and pencils!
Create a hairbrush station with comb and detangler
Morning time is hard enough…and when you factor in your daughter trying to find her hairbrush, it can be downright crazy.
Find a box or create and make a station that holds everything that she needs to get her hair ready in the morning.
Set start times for the shower for each child
Tired of yelling for your kids to get in the shower? Create start and stop times for their days to complete. That way, they know that you mean business.
Create file folders for the kid’s homework that needs to be completed
File folders aren’t for just the business world anymore. Give each child their own file folder so that they can stay on top of what homework needs to be completed by when.
Or make up a family command center like this one that includes homework sections.
Buy snacks in bulk
Stop running to the store every day or every other day, just to buy snacks. Instead, buy them in bulk so that you can stay on track with all the other duties that you need to be focusing on instead.
Empty and refill backpacks the moment that they get home from school
Tossing backpacks on the floor is one of the biggest clutter issues, ever. Instead of making that a routine, instead, have your kids empty out and refill their backpacks right when they get home.
Create a simple shoe caddy using boxes
Have you ever spent more time than you’d care to admit looking for the other shoe of your child? Take out this time sucker and instead create a simple shoe caddy that they can keep all their shoes organized and together.
Write out a daily list for the family to follow
Let your family know that you mean business this school year and create a schedule for them to follow. Post it on the doors to their bedrooms so that they know you’re 100% serious.
Teach your children how to make and pack their own lunches
The best way to get organized is to teach your children how to help. If they want to take charge of packing their own lunches, let them! That’s just one less thing that you’ll have to worry about.
Get a free printable lunch menu planner here.
Buy reusable containers to save money and cut down on storing boxes of plastic bags
If your kitchen drawers are stuffed full of plastic bags, stop and step away. This year, use reusable containers for their lunches. They’re better for the environment and don’t’ take up near as much space.
Print out a pick-up reminder
This free printable sign will help remind your whole family to “Don’t put it down; put it away”.
See how simple these home organization hacks are? With just a little bit of prepping and planning, you can create a routine that is certain to be a great start to the school year.
Or if you’re midway through the year and desperate for a little sanity, try a couple of these tips and see how well they help!
Do you have any back to school organizing hacks to share?
The post 35 Back to School Organizing Hacks to Make Your Life Easier appeared first on Living Well Mom.
#RoundUp #OrganizingTips #BackToSchool
Once that school bell rings, it’s like it’s off to the races. The days are packed full of activities, plans, and schedules and sometimes it feels like there’s never a good time to sit down and catch your breath.
It’s times like these that you need some simple organizing hacks to get you through the day. Not only will these make you more efficient but they’ll also help to make your day less stressful as well.
35 Back to School Organization Tips Give every member of your family their own laundry basket
When it comes to laundry, it truly does feel never-ending. And somehow, the piles just keep adding up. The simple and quick way to take care of the issue is to give each person in your family their own laundry basket.
This keeps the mess picked up and ready to be cleaned easier.
Make Sunday meal-planning Sunday
Taking the time to meal-plan is probably one of the easiest ways to get organized. Not only can you feel ahead of the game, but you can literally plan out a week’s worth of meals in a very short amount of time.
Plan to Eat is my favorite meal planning service – it allows you to easily grab any recipe online, keeps them organized, and makes it a breeze to plan out meals. Plus it creates automatic shopping lists!
Post a morning routine for everyone to follow
Chaos in the morning is avoidable if you create a schedule and morning routine that everyone can follow. Create it, post it and watch everyone stay calmed and relaxed during the beginning stressors of the school year.
Sit boxes in their room so kids can add items they no longer want
Kids change their minds all the time. Instead of trying to guess, sit a box or large plastic bin in their room for the week and let them know that they can add in anything that they no longer want.
You’ll be decluttering your house and donating items to others who need them as well.
Set up an evening checklist
An evening checklist can set clear expectations for everyone, from finishing chores to whether screen time is allowed or not. Here’s how to make a simple dry erase evening checklist.
Make themed days for packing school lunches
Tired of wracking your brain for different school lunch ideas? Keep it simple and think of a fun theme for each random day. You know that Taco Tuesday has to be one, right?
If your kids are gluten-free, you should check out this list of 60 gluten-free school lunch ideas
Sort your kids’ school paperwork right away…
with this quick and easy school paperwork sorting system. This is one of our favorite back to school organization ideas as it’s so simple with big results! You can say good-bye to piles of papers all over the counters, table, and other surfaces.
Depend on your crockpot…often
Crockpots are life. And when you’re looking for great meals that will be ready when you arrive home, the handy dandy crockpot never lets you down. Try this simple Slow Cooker Chicken Taco dinner – everyone loves it.
Don’t forget about the power of Instant Pot
The Instant Pot is another amazing appliance that can make your cooking organization skills a worry of the past. In just moments, your Instant Pot can create a meal for the entire family. My family loves this easy instant pot mac and cheese.
Keep nut bars and other simple snacks in the car
It never fails that children seem to get the most hungry when they’re in the car. Keeping all sorts of snacks that are handy make it simple and an organized idea to do.
Plus, they’ll be so happy to have food quickly and easily available.
Have baby wipes everyone in your house and car
Keeping things clean and organized means one thing and one thing only…use baby wipes any time that you can. They work great for all types of cleaning and are perfect for messy hands, too.
Put magnets on the back of your door for important paperwork
Don’t waste time in the morning running around looking for that important field trip paperwork. Instead, get a few magnets (we love these magnetic clips) and have it posted right on the back of the door.
There’s no way that you can miss them as you’re walking out the door.
Plan outfits by the week
Planning outfits by the day just isn’t enough. If you’re looking for truly simple ways to organize, plan at least a week in advance.
This simple DIY hanging clothes organizer can help too.
Have each child do chores when they get home from school
Set the standard early and give each child a couple chores to complete right when they get home. That way your home will stay clean and organized and your child will have that expectation set early.
Here are 2 of our favorite chore chart ideas for kids – chore sticks and zone chores.
Set up a laundry schedule
Create a weekly laundry schedule where each person has one day for their laundry. We’ve used this system for years now with our 4 kids and it’s made laundry much simpler and more manageable.
Color code your pantry to find quick snacks
How many times have you and your child stood and stared, trying to find a snack? Instead of making that happen all the time, color-code your pantry to make snacks easier to find.
Blue bins are for chocolate, red bins are for cereal…you see how simple and easy this can be, right?
Here are some more pantry organization ideas.
Set your calendar to add lunch money once a month
Forgetting your child’s school lunch money just isn’t all that great. Instead, set your phone calendar to remind you once a month to deposit a large amount into their school lunch money account.
Take a picture of your child’s school schedule and set it as your wallpaper
Worried that your child’s day is stressful and unorganized? Simply take a picture of their daily schedule so that you can be their support when they get lost.
Address screen time limitations before asked
Screen time can actually create chaos and anxiety in the home so setting limits early is key. Let your children know that their daily allotment of screen time will be decreasing once school starts.
Give each child a cubby to put in all their school items
Kids bring home a ton of stuff from school! Give each child a cubby that they can put in all their things. That way it all stays where it needs to and nothing gets mixed up and lost.
Here’s a list of great backpack organizing ideas.
Paint a wall with chalkboard paint to make a giant, life-sized calendar
How many times has no one in the family known what everyone else was going to do? When this is the case, create a giant calendar so there aren’t any questions.
Pick out an empty wall and paint it with chalkboard paint. Then, write on the wall and let everyone know your schedule.
Sort younger children’s clothing like this…
For younger children, try sorting their clothes in bins with labels instead of drawers. This handy clothes organizing tips for kids will help keep their room picked up!
Go back to school shopping the weekend after school starts
Back to school shopping is chaotic. If you can wait until the weekend after school starts, it’s so much more simple to organize your thoughts, time, effort and energy.
Create a carpool schedule to save time and money
Looking for a way to not have to drive your kids to school every single day? Why not create a schedule with some of the neighbors and take turns taking everyone to and from school!
Keep your vehicle organized with a simple trash bag
If you don’t already do this, keep a plastic shopping bag in your SUV or van for trash containment. Then regularly throw it away and replace. It’s amazing how much this simple tip will help. Find a few more car organizing tips here.
Reuse items in your home to create organization and decrease clutter
So many times we run out to the store to buy something new. But if you take the time and look around, you just might have items in your house that you can reuse instead.
Cans make great holders for push pins, ink pens, and pencils!
Create a hairbrush station with comb and detangler
Morning time is hard enough…and when you factor in your daughter trying to find her hairbrush, it can be downright crazy.
Find a box or create and make a station that holds everything that she needs to get her hair ready in the morning.
Set start times for the shower for each child
Tired of yelling for your kids to get in the shower? Create start and stop times for their days to complete. That way, they know that you mean business.
Create file folders for the kid’s homework that needs to be completed
File folders aren’t for just the business world anymore. Give each child their own file folder so that they can stay on top of what homework needs to be completed by when.
Or make up a family command center like this one that includes homework sections.
Buy snacks in bulk
Stop running to the store every day or every other day, just to buy snacks. Instead, buy them in bulk so that you can stay on track with all the other duties that you need to be focusing on instead.
Empty and refill backpacks the moment that they get home from school
Tossing backpacks on the floor is one of the biggest clutter issues, ever. Instead of making that a routine, instead, have your kids empty out and refill their backpacks right when they get home.
Create a simple shoe caddy using boxes
Have you ever spent more time than you’d care to admit looking for the other shoe of your child? Take out this time sucker and instead create a simple shoe caddy that they can keep all their shoes organized and together.
Write out a daily list for the family to follow
Let your family know that you mean business this school year and create a schedule for them to follow. Post it on the doors to their bedrooms so that they know you’re 100% serious.
Teach your children how to make and pack their own lunches
The best way to get organized is to teach your children how to help. If they want to take charge of packing their own lunches, let them! That’s just one less thing that you’ll have to worry about.
Get a free printable lunch menu planner here.
Buy reusable containers to save money and cut down on storing boxes of plastic bags
If your kitchen drawers are stuffed full of plastic bags, stop and step away. This year, use reusable containers for their lunches. They’re better for the environment and don’t’ take up near as much space.
Print out a pick-up reminder
This free printable sign will help remind your whole family to “Don’t put it down; put it away”.
See how simple these home organization hacks are? With just a little bit of prepping and planning, you can create a routine that is certain to be a great start to the school year.
Or if you’re midway through the year and desperate for a little sanity, try a couple of these tips and see how well they help!
Do you have any back to school organizing hacks to share?
The post 35 Back to School Organizing Hacks to Make Your Life Easier appeared first on Living Well Mom.
#RoundUp #OrganizingTips #BackToSchool